Drs. Anne Richardson, Alyssa Kelder, Kate Amodei, Ben Zuchelkowski, and Amar Patel
Kate Amodei, MD
Undergraduate: Swarthmore College
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Career Plans: Hospitalist
Kate grew up in the charming town of West Chester, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. She pursued her academic and athletic passions at Swarthmore College, excelling in both her studies and volleyball. She then attended medical school at the University of Pittsburgh. After seeing firsthand the opportunities for individualized education, resident autonomy, and general camaraderie amongst the residents themselves, Kate knew she wanted to stay at UPMC to complete her residency. Kate now juggles the roles of chief resident and mom, finding joy in the laughter of her daughter Riley, the playful antics of her dog Bailey, and her husband’s witty puns. A daily iced coffee (or two) provides the energy she needs to keep up with her responsibilities. Outside of work, Kate enjoys catching up on the latest Bravo TV dramas and exploring new culinary delights around Pittsburgh. With aspirations to become an academic hospitalist, Kate’s academic interests include medical education and women’s health.
Alyssa Kelder, MD
Undergraduate: University of Virginia
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Career Plans: Academic general medicine
Alyssa grew up Athens, Ohio, the hometown of Ohio University. She then ventured out of Ohio to the University of Virginia for her undergraduate degree, where she studied biology with a minor in French. She attended medical school at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. There, she found a passion for general internal medicine and medical education, which became the driving forces leading her to residency at UPMC. During residency, Alyssa has particularly valued the program’s commitment to developing teaching skills and clinical reasoning early on with resident-led rounds, graded autonomy, and the medical education track. Outside of work, Alyssa loves casual outdoor sports (tennis, pickleball, beach volleyball, bike riding), exploring all of the great restaurants in Pittsburgh, and hanging out with her puppy, Pepper.
Amar Patel, MD
Undergraduate: New York University
Medical School: Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Career Plans: Cardiology
Amar was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia (Go Birds!). He ventured to NYC for college where he studied neuroscience and chemistry at NYU. While in college, he discovered his passion for the intersection between science, public health, and teaching. After college, he returned to his hometown of Philly for medical school at Penn. He chose to move across the state to Pittsburgh for residency at UPMC given its robust clinical training, ample research opportunities, and degree of resident autonomy demonstrated by resident-led rounds. When not at work, Amar can be found reading in coffee shops, checking out the trendy new restaurant that just opened up, or convincing his friends to play a wildly convoluted board game.
Anne Richardson, MD
Undergraduate: University of Notre Dame
Medical School: Loyola University Chicago
Career Plans: General internal medicine/primary care and medical education
Anne grew up just outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, then went to undergrad at the University of Notre Dame where she majored in pre-professional studies and cheered on the Notre Dame football team to its worst record over a consecutive 4-year period (Go Irish!). Afterwards she went to medical school at Loyola University Chicago where she began to explore her interests in internal medicine, medical education and clinical reasoning. Interested in all of these things, UPMC seemed like the perfect place for residency. She was particularly impressed by UPMC’s commitment to medical education, the resident-led-rounds structure, and the welcoming community in Pittsburgh. She plans to pursue a career as a clinician-educator, where she’ll continue to explore her interests in ambulatory education, curriculum development and clinical reasoning. When not at work, Anne enjoys distance running, finding the best breakfast sandwich in Pittsburgh (current top ranking is Thyme Machine in Bloomfield), trying new restaurants with friends, and spending time with her husband (a UPMC neurology resident) and their cat, Lou.
Benjamin Zuchelkowski, MD
Undergraduate: Allegheny College
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Career Plans: Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine
Ben was born in Morgantown, WV, and grew up in Uniontown, PA. He attended Allegheny College, where he majored in Neuroscience and minored in Piano Performance, before moving on to medical school at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He completed his residency training at UPMC. He has a large orange tabby cat named Hemingway. In his free time, Ben enjoys exploring new restaurants and cocktail bars in the city, spending quality time with family and friends, gardening, and working out at F45. After his chief year, he plans to pursue a fellowship in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine.